Honolulu Melts for Lasagna

By Michael Keany

Published: 2010.11.10 10:07 PM

Photos: Michael Keany

After perfecting the panini at his two Mix Café locations, downtown lunch genius Bruno Iezzi has turned his attention to another Italian classic: baked pasta. Bruno’s Forno (forno is Italian for oven), tucked deep in Chinatown next to Maunakea Marketplace, hews to the same simple aesthetic as the Mix spots, and serves up one of the best lasagnas I’ve ever tasted. Carbonara, funghi, zucchini—every variety on the menu is close-your-eyes delicious. Iezzi says he makes everything from scratch, including the sauce, which contains only natural ingredients, and the noodles, which are rolled fresh every day using a heavy-duty pasta machine imported from Italy.

The lasagna comes shallower than you might be used to—just two layers—but each serving is enough for two meals, or one magnificent overdose.